ANC's two-thirds majority slips

ANC's two-thirds majority slips

Tensions ran high at the Independent Electoral Commission Office's (IEC) Results Operation Centre in Pretoria earlier this afternoon when the African National Congress lost the two thirds majority it held earlier.

At around 6pm, the leader board at the centre indicated that the party had slipped below their earlier 67 percent which secured a two thirds majority rule. The figure slipped to 66.32 percent.

However, the ANC is still dominating the elections with the Democratic Alliance following with 16.10 percent and the Congress of the People securing 7.46 percent so far.

The IEC, which counted more than 16 million votes as the second day of vote counting wrapped up, indicated that the official results would be announced on Saturday. It has put voter turnout at 77 percent.

Mayor of Tshwane and ANC member Gwen Ramokgopa said all parties at the centre were crossing their fingers.

"We [the ANC] are crossing our fingers for our two-thirds majority and the smaller parties are hoping for more votes. Tensions will remain high until the final results are announced," she told BuaNews.

Meanwhile, former first lady Zanele Mbeki has made an appearance at the IEC results centre causing a stir among the media.

Ms Mbeki, married to former President Thabo Mbeki, was accompanied by Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) Chairperson Brigalia Bam who explained how the facilities at the centre work.

She declined to speak to media but instead focused her attention on the results displayed on the leader board as another IEC official explained how it operated.

Ms Mbeki spoke to representatives of various political parties including representatives from the A Party. She also went around to desks of several parties, including the African National Congress. - BuaNews

Are you planning to build a new home? Renovating your old house? If you need a professional Architectural Draughtsman to draw up your plans, call Christo Appel Architectural Designs now on 021-6960460.

M. Adams - Secretarial and Administration services, located in Surrey Estate, offer help in the field of Secretarial work related to Cipro and Administration functions, such as those relating to SARS Registrations. Call them now on 082-5655258.

Do you need professional assistance in taxation matters? Ascend Business Solutions in Lansdowne are professional Accountants and Business Consultants with expertise in the SMME sector. Give them a call on 021-6747690